Computer implemented display system responsive to a detected mood of a person

ABSTRACT

Disclosed are systems and methods for influencing the mood of a person using a synthetic window. The system includes storing one or more excitement scenes and one or more calming scenes, where the excitement scenes when displayed on the display produce an excitatory environment and the calming scenes when displayed on the display produce a calming environment. The system also includes receiving input as to a type of mood of the person, selecting an excitement scene or a calming scene in response to the mood type received, and displaying the selected scene on the display.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/688,522, filed Aug. 28, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,950,052, whichclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/285,036, filed on Oct. 14, 2016. The foregoing applications arehereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a computer-implemented system thatdetects a person's mood and changes the state of a display to promote achange in a person's mood from the detected mood to a preselected and/ormore preferred mood.

Related Art

A person's mood can be affected by lighting, color, sound, and/orimagery. Light, for example, is known to affect the regulation ofemotions, likely through its effects to the nervous and endocrinesystems. Lighting, color, sound, and imagery can affect a person'scircadian rhythms, influencing physiological parameters such asmelatonin levels, serotonin levels, cortical activity, and alertness. Insome circumstances, poor lighting, along with a lack of associatedcolor, sound, and imagery can trigger depression and even have anegative effect on the immune system. In contrast, excessive lighting,color, sound, and imagery can cause a person to feel nervous and onedge.

Physical windows, and the associated positive psychological effect theyhave, are important enough that they often dictate the shape and designof an interior space. Not all interior spaces can accommodate windows,however. Some rooms may be too small and/or located too far toward theinterior of a building, for example. In some circumstances, buildingdesign may favor less windows to reduce heating or air conditioningcosts. A high dynamic range video monitor and speakers can mimic awindow by displaying imagery and sound a user might see out a window.Such synthetic windows, when placed on an interior wall, can give theillusion of a window to the outside world.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a display system for influencing themood of a person. The system includes a display and one or moreprocessors, computer memory, and computer executable instructions storedon a non-transitory recording medium. The execution of the computerexecutable instructions by the one or more processors causes performanceof a method that includes: (i) storing one or more excitement scenes andone or more calming scenes, wherein the excitement scenes when displayedon the display produce an excitatory environment and the calming sceneswhen displayed on the display produce a calming environment; (ii)receiving mood input and determining a type of mood of the person; (iii)selecting an excitement scene or a calming scene in response to the moodtype received; and (iv) displaying the selected scene on the display.

The sound and imagery and resulting lighting from a synthetic window maybe adjusted to promote a change in a user's mood. For example, thedisplay may be adjusted in response to detecting a sad person to promotea happier mood, the display may be adjusted in response to detecting abored person to promote a more engaged and/or excited mood, the displaymay be adjusted in response to detecting an anxious person to promote acalmer mood, and the like.

To accomplish this the mood of the user is detected. A variety ofapproaches for detecting user mood may be utilized. In one embodiment,the user may provide input to the system, either verbally and/or througha user interface that receives the type of mood the person is in (e.g.,via a touch screen interface and/or microphone with optional voicerecognition). Alternatively, or in addition, the system may detect theuser's face, and then read the user's expression. Examples of systemsthat can be adapted to detect mood according to the teachings of thepresent invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,154,615 toFedorovskaya and U.S. Pat. No. 9,313,318 to Jonsson, which areincorporated herein by reference.

In some embodiments, the system may use historical data about theindividual from previous encounters with the system. In addition, oralternatively, the system may use historical data based on calendarcontent (e.g., time of year, weekday vs. weekend, workday vs. day off,holiday) and/or time of day. Historical data can be received from avariety of sources. In some embodiments, the system may receive dataassociated with one or more of a user's eating history, sleep data,movement/exercise history, media consumption (e.g., news, entertainment)history, and the like.

For example, in some embodiments the system may be networked with orotherwise in communication with one or more of a user's other electronicdevices and/or applications in order to communicate such historicaldata. In some embodiments, the system may be configured to communicatewith one or more of a user's mobile phone, smart watch, activitytracker, computing device (e.g., work, home, laptop), smartrefrigerator, web application, smart television, etcetera.

In some embodiments, the display may be a synthetic (i.e., virtual)window. The synthetic window may be configured to provide imagery(including lighting/brightness levels) and/or sound to provide a displayscene mimicking a natural outdoor environment. In some embodiments, forexample, the display scene includes a natural landscape. In someembodiments, the landscape includes imagery of a real-life landscape. Insome embodiments, the display scene includes moving people, animals,and/or objects within the scene.

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in part in thedescription that follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the embodiments disclosedherein. The objects and advantages of the embodiments disclosed hereinwill be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinationsparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understoodthat both the foregoing brief summary and the following detaileddescription are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictiveof the embodiments disclosed herein or as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe various features and concepts of the presentdisclosure, a more particular description of certain subject matter willbe rendered by reference to specific embodiments which are illustratedin the appended drawings. Understanding that these figures depict justsome example embodiments and are not to be considered to be limiting inscope, various embodiments will be described and explained withadditional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a computer system configured for modulating a displayfor promoting a desired mood change in a person;

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a display device adjusting a display screenaccording to exemplary implementations of the computer system of FIG. 1;and

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method, which may beperformed using the computer system of FIG. 1, for modulating a displayfor promoting a desired mood change in a person.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to a display system for influencing themood of a person. The system includes a display and one or moreprocessors, computer memory, and computer executable instructions storedon a non-transitory recording medium. The execution of the computerexecutable instructions by the one or more processors causes performanceof a method that includes: (i) storing one or more excitement scenes andone or more calming scenes, wherein the excitement scenes when displayedon the display produce an excitatory environment and the calming sceneswhen displayed on the display produce a calming environment; (ii)receiving mood input and determining a type of mood of the person; (iii)selecting an excitement scene or a calming scene in response to the moodtype received; and (iv) displaying the selected scene on the display.

Some embodiments further include storing one or more sub-categories ofexcitement scenes, such as one or more scenes for promoting alertness,one or more scenes for promoting a person to awake from sleep, one ormore scenes for promoting user motion/activity, and the like.

Some embodiments further include storing one or more sub-categories ofcalming scenes, such as one or more scenes for promoting sleep, one ormore scenes for dissipating anger, one or more scenes for relievinganxiety, and the like.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary computer environment 100 configured formodulating a display to promote a desired mood change in a person withinvisual proximity to the display. The illustrated computer environment100 includes a computer system 110 with a memory 102 and at least oneprocessor 104. Alternative embodiments may include a plurality ofprocessors and/or memory storage devices. The memory 102 may be physicalsystem memory, which may be volatile, non-volatile, or some combinationof the two. The term “memory” may also be used herein to refer tonon-volatile mass storage such as physical storage media.

The computer system 110 also includes executable modules or executablecomponents, described in more detail below. As used herein, the term“executable module” or “executable component” can refer to softwareobjects, routings, or methods that may be executed on the computingsystem. The different components, modules, engines, and servicesdescribed herein may be implemented as objects or processes that executeon the computing system.

The computer system 110 also includes a display device 106. The displaydevice 106 may be physically coupled to the processor 104 and memory102, or may be physically separated but communicatively linked (e.g.,via a direct wired connection or via a wireless connection) to theprocessor 104 and memory 102. The display device is preferably a highdynamic range video (“HDR”) monitor/screen, such as one that iscertified HDR by the UHD Alliance according to their standards in placein February of 2017. For purposes of this invention HDR includes atleast 60 pixels/degree, 0.0005-540 nits, 90% of the P3 color gambit, and10 bit depth. Alternatively, other types of display devices may beutilized, including those having a sub-HDR rating or those which may bedeveloped in the future having higher ratings. Although one displaydevice 106 is shown in the Figure, it will be understood that more thanone display device may also be utilized.

The computer system 110 can also include other input/output hardware108, including one or more cameras, keyboards, mouse controls, touchscreens, microphones, speakers, display screens, track balls, scrollwheels, biometric sensors (e.g., electroencephalography sensors (EEG),heart rate monitors, eye tracking devices, user temperature sensors),and the like to enable the receiving of information from a user and fordisplaying or otherwise communicating information to a user.

The illustrated computer system 110 also includes communication channels112 that enable the computer system 110 to communicate with one or moreseparate computer systems. For example, the computer system 110 may be apart of network 140, which may be configured as a Local Area Network(“LAN”), a Wide Area Network (“WAN”), or the Internet, for example.

In some embodiments, the computer system 110 is communicatively linkedto one or more computer systems or computer devices 150 a through 150 n(referred to collectively as computer devices 150). The one or morecomputer devices 150 may be connectable to the computer system 110through a hardwire connection and/or through a wireless connection. Insome embodiments, the one or more computer devices 150 can include oneor more a user's mobile phone, smart watch, activity tracker, othercomputing device (e.g., work, home, laptop), smart refrigerator, smarttelevision, and the like. The one or more computer devices 150 can alsoinclude user data associated with a web application (e.g., news feed,email, calendar, media streaming) stored at a remote server. Asexplained in more detail below, the computer system 110 is capable ofreceiving data from such computer devices 150 to augment the mooddetection engine 120 and/or display scene selection engine 130.

The illustrated computer system 110 also includes a mood detectionengine 120 configured to detect the mood of one or more persons invisual proximity to the display device 106. Although the followingdescription will typically refer to a singular person or individual, itwill be understood that embodiments may also be configured to detect themood of multiple individuals. For example, where a group of more thanone is within visual proximity to the display device 106, the computersystem 110 can be configured to detect the mood of some or each of theindividuals present. The overall mood of the group can then bedetermined as an average based on the individuals sampled or on the mostfrequently detected mood, for example. In some embodiments, the computersystem 110 may give greater weight to the moods of the individual(s) ofthe group who are actively observing the display device 106 or morefrequently observe the display device 106 (e.g., by using a camera andfacial detection to determine gaze direction).

The mood detection engine 120 can include one or more mood detectiondrivers 122 a to 122 n (referred to collectively as mood detectiondrivers 122) for receiving and configuring mood inputs and providingmood detection functionality. In some embodiments, a mood detectiondriver 122 may be configured as a manual input driver enabling thereceipt of manually input mood information. For example, a user may useany of the input hardware described above to input a present mood intothe computer system 110. In one embodiment, a mood detection driver 122uses voice recognition to receive a voice input through the computersystem microphone specifying the present user mood.

In some embodiments, a mood detection driver 122 is configured accordingto calendar data. For example, the mood detection driver 122 may operateaccording to time of day (e.g., a user may be more likely to be anxiousduring morning hours and more likely to be relaxed during eveninghours), according to time of week (e.g., a user may be more likely to beanxious during weekdays and more likely to be relaxed on weekends),according to time of year (e.g., a user may be more likely to bedepressed during winter months and more likely to be happy during summermonths), according to proximity to events marked on the calendar (e.g.,a user may be likely to be anxious before a job interview or may belikely to be frustrated/angry after a day filled with multiplemeetings), or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, such calendardata is received by communication of the computer system 110 with theuser's mobile phone and/or with a user's calendar application.

In some embodiments, a mood detection driver 122 is configured tooperate according to received biometric data (e.g., via communicationwith a health/fitness tracking device and/or suitable application). Themood detection driver 122 may detect a user's recent exercise/activitylevel, sleep data, body temperature, pulse/heart rate, or combinationsthereof, and infer a likely mood based on the biometric data. Forexample, a user experiencing a higher than normal heart rate may be morelikely to be in an anxious mood, and a user experiencing a drop intypical exercise activity and/or experiencing less sleep than normal maybe “edgier” and more likely to experience an angry mood.

In some embodiments, a mood detection driver 122 is configured tooperate according to facial expression and/or gaze data, such as datareceived using a camera associated with the computer system 110. Thecamera may capture imagery of the user's face, and use facialrecognition algorithms known in the art to determine a likely mood ofthe user.

In some embodiments, a mood detection driver 122 is configured tooperate according to received media consumption history (e.g., viacommunication with the user's news feed, video or music streamingapplication, etc.). The mood detection driver 122 may detect a user'srecent media consumption and infer a likely mood based on the receiveddata. For example, a user who has recently watched a war documentaryand/or who has recently read a series of negative news articles may bemore likely to experience a depressed mood.

In some embodiments, information from one or more mood detection driverscan be associated with information from one or more other mood detectiondrivers to augment the performance of the mood detection engine 120. Forexample, information from a calendar-based mood detection driver can becombined with information from a biometric-based mood detection driverto determine that the user typically gets limited sleep during aparticular portion of the week, and is therefore likely to experience anangry mood during that portion of the week.

The mood detection engine 120 may also utilize historical data toimprove mood detection performance over time. In some embodiments, mooddata corrections and/or mood data manually input by the user areutilized to determine correlations between calendar data, biometric,data, media-consumption data, historical data, and likely user moods.The illustrated computer system 110 also includes a feedback analyzer116 configured to receive user inputs and/or user corrections and toreconfigure settings within the mood detection engine 120 and/or displayscene selection engine 130 based on the received feedback to enabletraining and improved performance.

For example, if a user frequently provides input that he/she experiencesa particular mood during a particular time of day, within a particulartime period following exercise, according to the amount of politicalnews stories read that day, etc., a corresponding mood detectioncorrelation can be mapped. In this manner, the mood detection engine 120can “learn” to better detect user mood in the future with less need formanual input or correction. Such adaptive operation can be providedusing one or more machine learning algorithms known in the art.

The mood detection engine 120 may be configured to broadly categorize auser's mood as “depressed” (including moods such as sad, tired, bored,and the like) or “excited” (including moods such as angry, anxious,frustrated, and the like). In some embodiments, the mood detectionengine 120 further includes a category of “good/neutral” (includingmoods such as relaxed, happy, calm, and the like). In some embodiments,the mood detection engine 120 is configured to identify the user's moodmore granularly according to one or more of the above-specifiedsub-categories of moods. As described above, user input and other datamay be utilized to train the mood detection engine in accuratelydetecting user mood.

The computer system 110 also includes a display scene selection engine130 configured to select and adjust, based on the detected mood of theuser, a display scene for display on the display device 106. As shown,the display scene selection engine 130 includes a plurality of displayscenes 132 a to 132 n (referred to collectively as display scenes 132).The display scenes 132 may include a variety of different scenes.Preferably, however, the display scenes 132 include outdoor scenes suchas landscape scenes, cityscape scenes, and the like, in order for thedisplay device 106 to mimic a real window providing visualization of theoutdoors.

The display scene selection engine 130 also includes display parameters134 that may be adjusted to modulate the display scenes 132. Displayparameters 134 may include, for example, brightness levels, colorprofile (e.g., amount of blue light vs. red light), contrast, animationlevels (e.g., amount of animated movement within a scene), and soundlevels.

In some embodiments, the display scenes 132 are broadly categorized asexcitement scenes or calming scenes. Excitement scenes are characterizedby relatively brighter lighting, relatively more movement within thescene, a color profile with relatively more blue light, higher contrast,and/or more sound (e.g., higher volume and/or more frequent). Calmingscenes are characterized by relatively dimmer lighting, relatively lessmovement within the scene, a color profile with relatively less bluelight, lower contrast, and/or less sound (e.g., lower volume and/or lessfrequent).

In some embodiments, display scenes are scored according to eachparameter, and the overall score of each particular display scene can beused to categorize the scene as an excitement scene or as a calmingscene. In some embodiments, the parameter scores can be weighted (e.g.,according to user preferences) such that some parameters carry moreweight in determining the excitement or calming nature of the scene. Insome embodiments, a neutral category is established with one or moredisplay scenes having parameter values or an overall parameter scoreintermediate between the excitement category and the calming category.The display scene selection engine 130 may be configured to allow theuser to adjust category boundaries according to preferences.

Some display scenes may be essentially always of one particular type,but other scenes may be changeable by varying the associated displayparameters 134 of the scene. For example, a landscape scene showing afield may be categorized as an excitement scene when it shows a brightsun, blue sky, and birds moving in the air and chirping, but maytransition to a calming scene when the displayed sky dims and reddens(e.g., showing a sunset) and/or animated birds fly and chirp less, forexample.

In some embodiments, the display scene selection engine 130 selects adisplay based on the detected user mood in order to promote a change inthe mood of the user. For example, where a user's mood has been detectedgenerally as excited, the display scene selection engine 130 may operateto select a calming-type display scene, and when the user's mood hasbeen detected generally as depressed, the display scene selection engine130 may operate to select an excitement-type display scene.

In implementations where more granular mood detection is available,correspondingly more granular display scene selection may also beutilized. For example, where a user's mood is detected as being tiredbut not necessarily bored, an excitement display that focusesparticularly on bright light levels and high levels of blue light may beutilized (e.g., light and color parameters may be weighted moreheavily), whereas in circumstances where a user's mood is detected asbeing bored but not necessarily tired, an excitement display thatfocuses particularly on high movement and sound levels may be utilized(e.g., movement and sound parameters may be weighted more heavily).

In another example, where a user's mood is detected as being anxious butnot necessarily angry, a calming display that focuses particularly onminimizing movement and sound may be utilized (e.g., movement and soundparameters are weighted more heavily), whereas in circumstances where auser's mood is detected as being angry but not necessarily anxious, acalming display that focuses primarily on minimizing brightness may beutilized. Individual preferences may differ, and settings may beadjusted by the user and/or may adapt as the feedback analyzer 116receives training data as described above.

The display scene selection engine 130 may also operate according todata received from the one or more computer devices 150 and/or frominput received from the user. For example, where a user's mood isdetected as being depressed (e.g., sad, bored, or tired), buttime/calendar data indicates that it is late in the evening, the displayscene selection engine 130 may temper or forego displaying an excitementscene high in blue light and/or light intensity, which could disrupt theexpected upcoming sleep of the user.

In another example, where a user's mood is detected as being excited,but biometric data indicates that the user is exercising, the displayscene selection engine 130 may temper or forego displaying a calmingscene, as the user may prefer a more excited display state formotivation during the exercise routine.

In some embodiments, the display scene selection engine 130 selects adisplay scene 132 and/or adjusts display parameters 134 according to theintensity of the detected user mood (e.g., the distance of the“depressed” or “excited” mood from a “good/neutral” mood category). Forexample, where user mood is detected as being depressed, and anexcitement scene is selected and/or modulated to be relatively bright,the degree of brightness may correspond to the degree of the depressedmood of the user. Brightness may be higher where the user mood isdetected as being very depressed than where the user mood is detected asbeing slightly depressed. Likewise, where user mood is detected as beinganxious, a selected calming scene may include dimness, sound levels,motion levels, and/or color profiles that vary according to the degreeof detected anxiousness.

In some embodiments, the display scene selection engine 130 alsoincludes a variation control enabling a user to vary the degree ofalignment between operation of the display scene selection engine 130and the mood detection engine 120. For example, the display sceneselection engine 130 may be set so as to always provide a display scenethat corresponds to the detected user mood. The variation control allowsthe user to introduce varying levels of divergence from the normal setof displays and/or display parameters corresponding to the detected usermood. The variation control can therefore introduce a desired level ofvariation that may also aid in the generation of better training data.

The illustrated embodiment also includes an iteration controller 114configured to iterate mood detection and display scene detection overtime. For example, the iteration controller 114 may initiate the mooddetection engine 120 to redetect the mood of the user to see if the usermood has changed since the previous measurement. If the resultingmeasurement requires an adjustment to the display scene, the displayscene selection engine 130 may be initiated to operate accordingly.

In one example, if one or more previous display scenes have not resultedin a desired change in user mood (or fast enough change in user mood),the display scene selection engine 130 may ramp up or down display sceneparameters (e.g., brightness, color settings, motion activity, soundlevels, and/or overall scene selection) until the effect on user moodbegins to trend in the desired direction and/or begins to trend at adesired rate. For example, if a user's mood is previously detected as“depressed,” and after a period of time the mood is still detected as“depressed,” the display scene selection engine 130 may operate toincrease brightness, blue light, motion, or sound of the displayedscene, or may operate to change the scene to one having more of at leastone of these characteristics.

In some embodiments, after a successful change in user mood has beendetected, the display scene selection engine 130 can revert to selectinga default/neutral display scene. For example, when a user's mood isdetected as “good/neutral” after being either, for example, “depressed”or “excited,” the selected display can be chosen as one havingintermediate settings which do not necessarily promote excitement orcalming effects.

In some embodiments, memory components and/or program modules aredistributed across a plurality of constituent computer systems in adistributed environment. In other embodiments, memory components andprogram modules are included in a single integrated computer system.Accordingly, the systems and methods described herein are not intendedto be limited based on the particular location at which the describedcomponents are located and/or at which their functions are performed.

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate operation and functionality of variousexemplary embodiments for modulating the display of a synthetic windowin order to promote a mood change in a person. These exemplaryembodiments may be carried out using the computer environment 100described above.

FIG. 2A illustrates a display device 206 which is at first showing adefault display scene 232 a. The default display scene 232 a may be aneutral scene. In other embodiments, the default display scene may be aslideshow or a randomly selected scene or series of scenes. In someembodiments, the default display scene may simply be the last scenedisplayed since the most recent change intended to promote a mood changein the user. For example, if the most recent promoted mood change wassuccessful, and no subsequent negative mood has been detected in theuser, the scene may continue unchanged until another negative mood isdetected.

In the example shown in FIG. 2A, the display scene 232 a is a neutralscene. Upon detection of a negative mood in the user, the computersystem causes the display 206 to be updated to a modified display sceneconfigured to promote a mood change in the user. In the illustratedexample, the user's mood is detected as being “depressed” (e.g., sad,tired, bored). In response, the computer system updates the displayscene 232 a to an “excitement scene” to promote a less depressed mood inthe user. If the present scene is already an excitement scene, thedisplay scene may still be updated to a scene having a higher excitementscore.

In one example, the display scene update can be carried out bymaintaining the overall environment of the scene, but modifying one ormore of the parameters so that the scene becomes more excitatory. Asshown by display scene 232 b, the overall viewing environment ismaintained (e.g., same field, tree, and background), but the sun hasbeen made more prominent to increase brightness, and more clouds andbirds have been added to increase motion and sound activity within thescene.

In another example, the display scene can be switched to a new displayscene having a new viewing environment. For example, the grassy fielddisplay of the display scene 232 a may be switched to a display scene232 c showing an oceanfront view. The updated view 232 c may have higherblue light content, more brightness, more motion, and/or more soundactivity to provide a higher excitement score than the previous displayscene 232 a.

FIG. 2B shows another example where the same display scene 232 a isdisplayed, but the user's mood is detected as being “excited” (e.g.,anxious, angry, frustrated). Upon detecting this mood, the computersystem causes the display scene to update to a “calming scene.” If thepresently displayed scene is already a calming scene, the display maystill be updated to a scene having a higher calming score.

In one example, the display scene is updated by maintaining the sameoverall viewing environment, but modifying one or more parameters tomake the scene more calming. As shown by display scene 232 d, theoverall viewing environment is maintained (e.g., same field, tree, andbackground), but the sun has been rendered as a sunset to lowerbrightness, and less clouds and birds are present to reduce motion andsound activity within the scene.

In another example, the display scene can be switched to a new displayscene having a new viewing environment. For example, the grassy fielddisplay of the display scene 232 a may be switched to a display scene232 e showing a desert view. The updated view 232 e may have lower bluelight content, for example, to provide a higher calming score than theprevious display scene 232 a.

In the description that follows, embodiments are described withreference to acts that are performed by one or more computing systems.If such acts are implemented in software, one or more processors of theassociated computing system that performs the act direct the operationof the computing system in response to the processor(s) of the computingsystem having executed computer-executable instructions that areembodied on one or more computer-readable media (e.g., hardware storagedevice(s)).

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a computer-implemented method 300 formodulating a display to promote mood change in a person. As shown, acomputer system operates to store one or more excitement scenes and oneor more calming scenes (act 302). The one or more excitement scenes areconfigured to, when displayed on a display device, provide an excitatoryenvironment. The one or more calming scenes are configured to, whendisplayed on a display device, provide a calming environment.

The computer system then receives input indicating a type of mood of theperson (act 304). As described above, mood detection may be accomplishedusing one or more of facial expression data, calendar/time data,biometric data, user history, and user manual inputs, for example.

The computer system then selects an excitement scene or a calming scenein response to the mood type indicated (act 306), and displays theselected scene on the display device (act 308).

The disclosed embodiments may comprise or utilize a special-purpose orgeneral-purpose computer system that includes computer hardware, suchas, for example, one or more processors and system memory. Embodimentswithin the scope of the present invention also include physical andother computer-readable media for carrying or storingcomputer-executable instructions and/or data structures. Suchcomputer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby a general-purpose or special-purpose computer system.Computer-readable media that store computer-executable instructionsand/or data structures are computer storage media. Computer-readablemedia that carry computer-executable instructions and/or data structuresare transmission media. Thus, by way of example, and not limitation,embodiments of the invention can comprise at least two distinctlydifferent kinds of computer-readable media: computer storage media andtransmission media.

Computer storage media are physical storage media that storecomputer-executable instructions and/or data structures. Physicalstorage media include computer hardware, such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, solidstate drives (“SSDs”), flash memory, phase-change memory (“PCM”),optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or any other hardware storage device(s) which can be used tostore program code in the form of computer-executable instructions ordata structures, which can be accessed and executed by a general-purposeor special-purpose computer system to implement the disclosedfunctionality of the invention.

Transmission media can include a network and/or data links which can beused to carry program code in the form of computer-executableinstructions or data structures, and which can be accessed by ageneral-purpose or special-purpose computer system. A “network” isdefined as one or more data links that enable the transport ofelectronic data between computer systems and/or modules and/or otherelectronic devices. When information is transferred or provided over anetwork or another communications connection (either hardwired,wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a computersystem, the computer system may view the connection as transmissionmedia. Combinations of the above should also be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

Further, upon reaching various computer system components, program codein the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures canbe transferred automatically from transmission media to computer storagemedia (or vice versa). For example, computer-executable instructions ordata structures received over a network or data link can be buffered inRAM within a network interface module (e.g., a “NIC”), and theneventually transferred to computer system RAM and/or to less volatilecomputer storage media at a computer system. Thus, it should beunderstood that computer storage media can be included in computersystem components that also (or even primarily) utilize transmissionmedia.

Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions anddata which, when executed at one or more processors, cause ageneral-purpose computer system, special-purpose computer system, orspecial-purpose processing device to perform a certain function or groupof functions. Computer-executable instructions may be, for example,binaries, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, oreven source code.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may bepracticed in network computing environments with many types of computersystem configurations, including, personal computers, desktop computers,laptop computers, message processors, hand-held devices, multi-processorsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile telephones,PDAs, tablets, pagers, routers, switches, virtual or augmented realityheadsets, and the like. The invention may also be practiced indistributed system environments where local and remote computer systems,which are linked (either by hardwired data links, wireless data links,or by a combination of hardwired and wireless data links) through anetwork, both perform tasks. As such, in a distributed systemenvironment, a computer system may include a plurality of constituentcomputer systems. In a distributed system environment, program modulesmay be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the invention may bepracticed in a cloud computing environment. Cloud computing environmentsmay be distributed, although this is not required. When distributed,cloud computing environments may be distributed internationally withinan organization and/or have components possessed across multipleorganizations. In this description and the following claims, “cloudcomputing” is defined as a model for enabling on-demand network accessto a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks,servers, storage, applications, and services). The definition of “cloudcomputing” is not limited to any of the other numerous advantages thatcan be obtained from such a model when properly deployed.

A cloud computing model can be composed of various characteristics, suchas on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling, rapidelasticity, measured service, and so forth. A cloud computing model mayalso come in the form of various service models such as, for example,Software as a Service (“SaaS”), Platform as a Service (“PaaS”), andInfrastructure as a Service (“IaaS”). The cloud computing model may alsobe deployed using different deployment models such as private cloud,community cloud, public cloud, hybrid cloud, and so forth.

Some embodiments, such as a cloud computing environment, may comprise asystem that includes one or more hosts that are each capable of runningone or more virtual machines. During operation, virtual machines emulatean operational computing system, supporting an operating system andperhaps one or more other applications as well. In some embodiments,each host includes a hypervisor that emulates virtual resources for thevirtual machines using physical resources that are abstracted from viewof the virtual machines. The hypervisor also provides proper isolationbetween the virtual machines. Thus, from the perspective of any givenvirtual machine, the hypervisor provides the illusion that the virtualmachine is interfacing with a physical resource, even though the virtualmachine only interfaces with the appearance (e.g., a virtual resource)of a physical resource. Examples of physical resources includingprocessing capacity, memory, disk space, network bandwidth, mediadrives, and so forth.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display system responsive to a detected mood ofa person, the system including: a display device; and one or moreprocessors, computer memory, and computer executable instructions storedon a non-transitory recording medium, wherein execution of the computerexecutable instructions by the one or more processors causes performanceof a method comprising: storing a set of display scenes configured fordisplay on the display device, each particular display scene having aplurality of display parameters that set a mood level, the plurality ofdisplay parameters selected from brightness level, color profile,contrast, motion level, sound volume and sound frequency; receiving moodinput and determining a type of mood of the person using a mooddetection engine; selecting a display scene from the set of displayscenes using at least in part the mood type detected; and causing theselected scene to be displayed on the display device, thereby respondingto the detected mood of the person.
 2. The display system as in claim 1,further comprising providing a user interface for indicating thedetected mood type from a user and receiving input from a user regardingthe mood type.
 3. The display system as in claim 2, wherein the userinterface is a touch screen interface displaying an input field.
 4. Thedisplay system as in claim 2, wherein the user interface includes amicrophone and voice recognition for receiving user input.
 5. Thedisplay system as in claim 1, further comprising an imaging system thatcaptures images of the person, wherein the mood input comprises thecaptured images.
 6. The display system as in claim 1, wherein receivingmood input includes receiving calendar data, the method furthercomprising determining the type of mood of the person based at least inpart on the calendar data.
 7. The display system as in claim 1, whereinreceiving mood input includes receiving biometric data and determiningthe type of mood of the person based at least in part on the biometricdata.
 8. The display system as in claim 1, wherein receiving mood inputincludes receiving media consumption data associated with the person anddetermining the type of mood of the person based at least in part on themedia consumption data.
 9. The display system as in claim 1, wherein atleast a portion of the plurality of display parameters are unequallyweighted.
 10. The display system as in claim 1, wherein the selectedscene is selected according to an intensity of the type of mood of theperson, the selected scene having an excitatory score or a calming scorecorresponding to the intensity of the type of mood of the person. 11.The display system as in claim 1, further comprising detecting the typeof mood of the person a second time, and further comprising, in responseto detecting the type of mood of the person a second time, adjusting theselected scene or selecting a new scene using the second detected moodtype.
 12. The display system as in claim 1, wherein the selection of thedisplay scene comprises one or more of the following: (i) selecting acalming display scene in response to detecting anxiousness using themood detection engine; (ii) selecting an excitatory display scene inresponse to detecting boredom using the mood detection engine; or (iii)selecting happiness display scene in response to detecting sadness usingthe mood detection engine.
 13. A display system responsive to a detectedmood of a person, the system including: a display device; and one ormore processors, computer memory, and computer executable instructionsstored on a non-transitory recording medium, wherein execution of thecomputer executable instructions by the one or more processors causesperformance of a method comprising: storing at least one display sceneconfigured for display on the display device, the at least one displayscene having a first configuration of a plurality of display parametersthat set an mood level of the display scene, the plurality of displayparameters selected from brightness level, color profile, contrast,motion level, sound volume and sound frequency; receiving mood input anddetermining a type of mood of the person using a mood detection engine;selecting a second configuration of the plurality of display parametersusing at least in part on the mood type detected; and causing thedisplay scene to be displayed on the display device using the secondconfiguration of the plurality of display parameters, thereby respondingto the detected mood of the person.
 14. The display system as in claim13, further comprising providing a user interface for indicating thedetected mood type from a user and receiving input from a user regardingthe mood type.
 15. The display system as in claim 14, wherein the userinterface is a touch screen interface displaying an input field.
 16. Thedisplay system as in claim 14, wherein the user interface includes amicrophone and voice recognition for receiving user input.
 17. Thedisplay system as in claim 13, further comprising an imaging system thatcaptures images of the person, wherein the mood input comprises thecaptured images.
 18. The display system as in claim 13, whereinreceiving mood input includes receiving calendar data, the methodfurther comprising determining the type of mood of the person based atleast in part on the calendar data.
 19. The display system as in claim13, wherein selecting the second configuration of the plurality ofdisplay parameters comprises one or more of the following: (i) selectinga calming configuration of the plurality of display parameters inresponse to detecting anxiousness using the mood detection engine; (ii)selecting an excitatory configuration of the plurality of displayparameters in response to detecting boredom using the mood detectionengine; or (iii) selecting happiness configuration of the plurality ofdisplay parameters in response to detecting sadness using the mooddetection engine.
 20. The display system as in claim 13, furthercomprising detecting the type of mood of the person a second time, andfurther comprising, in response to detecting the type of mood of theperson a second time, adjusting the selected scene or selecting a newscene using the second detected mood type.